EDITORIAL
Make a statement
with Marge Schott
Cincinnati Reds' owner Marge Schott used to be
the laughingstock of baseball. Fans from other baseball
cities would make fun of her meddling antics — how
she would routinely get in arguments with fans sitting
near her. how her dog “Schottzie" would come to the
ballpark and leave good-luck deposits in front of the
visitors' dugout.
Nobody's laughing anymore. In late November, the
media exposed Schott us a racist, a woman who cared
little about the feelings of ethnic minorities She is re
ported to have called two former players "million dol
lar niggers." keeps a swastika in her home, and has
said she "would rather him a trained monkey" than a
"nigger."
Baseball owners are now faced with taking action
against Schott for her statements. Suggestions have
ranged from fines to suspension Whatever the owners
choose, the discipline must be severe. The sports world
has continually sidestepped the issue of racism be
cause owners believe having African-Americans on the
playing field absolves them from responsibility. But for
once, sports can make a solid commitment to an im
portant issue.
Actually, sports is perhaps the best place to make
such a statement. Just as Magic Johnson has educated
people on the AIDS front, baseball stars can educate
people about racism. Sports figures, along with enter
tainers. are among the most visible personalities in the
world.
This time it's on baseball's shoulders. Of all sports,
it has always been the most traditionally white sport,
As America's pastime, it didn't represent anything but
white America until 1047, when Jackie Robinson broke
the color barrier, u full 50 years after baseball first
gained popularity.
In 107T when Hank Aaron broke Bain; Ruth's ca
reer home run record, he received literally thousands
of racist hale letters, including hundreds of death
threats. And today, baseball has few minority managers
and even fewer executives
It's interesting that baseball has always made more
of an issue of gambling within the s|>ort. Pete Rose, af
ter all. received a lifetime ban for betting on baseball
games. Yet the possibility that Marge Schott, who has
spouted genuine venom against minorities, may stay in
the game is ridiculous. Whose crime was worse?
Schott must Ire suspended from the game and
forced to give up ownership of the team. If she refuses
to sell the team, baseball must flex its muscles and kick
her out. Baseball owners must then back up their ac
tions by hiring minority personnel to executive posi
tions.
Did Schott mean what she said? Maybe or maybe
not. In an apology Wednesday, she claimed she spoke
"with my mouth, but not my heart." But the fact that
she let her mouth run off in the first place indicates a
fundamental ignorance of humanity.
Whatever the owners choose. Schott must be taken
to task for her statements. She violated the sensibilities
of not only the baseball world but the rest of society.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
Edftor
Edrtonal Editor
Graphaca Editor
Enlartainmanl Editor
Itopa Naalaon
(War* Jarman
Dave Charbonneau
Galley Andamon
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LETTERS
Separate race
In tile Dei 7 million of the
lunrrulil, there is a front page
article ulmut minorities on r um
pus Mentioned ore the prob
lems faced by Native Ameri
cans, African Americans. Chi
canes, Latinos, Asian Ameri
cans and Pacific-Island stu
dents There is no mention of
Jewish-American students
Jewish students are lumped
together with "white” students
This is a serious inaccuracy.
The majority of "white" Ameri
ca docs not consider Jews as
one of its own In an Emerald
article from March it. the paper
reported “the highest level of
antl-Jewish acts in the United
States In til years." and in Lane
County and increase in 1991 by
itttO percent
These hate crimes are not
committed against Jews ire
cause tJiey are considered
"white " Because most of the
Jewish population in America
is white skinned, other ethnic
minorities do not consider us
poop to of color
Even though we have our
own languages (Hebrew. Yid
dish. Ladlno, Tati), our own
culture (religion and tradi
tions), our own history (which
spans over 3,(HH) years — writ
ten), and our people are mem
bers of every race, wo are still
overlooked in Chester Allen's
article
Ezra Bookstein
Co-director, JSU
Insulted
Loss than 3 percent of the
IJ S population is Jewish. Wo
are ii recognized ethnic minor
ity on campus, as we are recog
nized as st) around the world
The attitude of the Emerald's
Dec. 7 article that portrays Jews
as white pushes a forced invisi
bility upon our people.
This university has an enor
mous amount of work to do in
order to provide the level of ed
ucation that it talks about, (cel
ebrating diversity). Immediate
changes must be made in terms
of courses being offered and
minority professors being
hired.
Every student should be able
to feel that some effort is being
taken on the part of the admin
istration to fairly represent his
or her culture. The Jewish Stu
dent Union is in the hoart of
this fight, along with all of the
other ethnic minorities on cam
pus.
While this article in the Em
erald was trying to educate the
student body about problems
facing ethnic minorities, to sim
ply overlook the Jewish people
is an insult.
Andrew Waxman
Co-director, JSU
Stop labels
I would like to respond to the
Dec H letter by Benjamin
Novinger of Men Against Rape.
Sorry, but i am not a "poten
tial rapist," or child molester,
or mass murderer or anything
else like that I do not accept
the arbitrary, disgusting labels
that Novi tiger and those who
''think'' like him wish to place
on me just because I happen to
he male, any more than I will
accept any other stereotype.
I am an African American,
and vet 1 am not a crack addict,
do not live in a ghetto and,
though I am well aware of all
the oppression that black peo
ple have iiad to deal witii in
tins country — and have expe
rienced myself, do not assume
every white person 1 run into is
a potential racist scumbag
Call me naive, but i don't like
tarring everyone with the same
brush, and I don't like people
who do Crimes against human
ity such as rape, sexism, rac
ism, etc,, need to be totally
stamped out Hut in order to do
that, we all — ALL — need to
work together Pointing fingers
and cailling names won't solve
jack.
Paul Herring
Fine Arts
Mighty pen
Tammy Batoy is upset at her
exclusion from Michael Kim's
list of people invited to the
A si an/African-American rela
tions forum [ODE, Dec. 7).
1 wonder if the thought had
even crossed her mind as to
why Kirn may not have wanted
the media present? 1 think not.
Ways in which articles are writ
ten, portraying people of color
as “experts” or “representa
tives.'' speaking for a group of
people when they are only
speaking for themselves, may
he a reason
In addition, a person cover
ing issues such as racism or
race relations is not always sen
sitive enough to minorities'
feelings and may not under
stand "where a person is com
ing from" and why they say the
things they do. Actual thoughts
and opinions made public by
someone can be and aro distort
ed in many ways.
Batey had the right to stay at
the forum unless she was con
sidered "a threat to someone's
life " She said. "... I don't curry
any weapons ... only pens.”
Isn't the pen mightier than the
sword? She does not realize
how influential the Emerald is
and that words are just as dan
gerous
Not truthfully informing her
readers about events and is
sues. she's just complaining
about (the forum) she doesn't
understand. VVhim talking of
race relations or racism, one
must realize that topics about
white oppression, white society
and white supremacy can not
he avoided These factors con
tribute to racism.
Tina Koida
APASU
White washed
A "fur salt)" advertisement
has moro information than
Tammy Batoy's article [ODE.
Dec 3) had But her defensive
"opinion" article (ODE. Dec. 7)
had to take a page, thus creat
ing a pre-judged opinion for
your readers who know what
she let them
Based on the opinion article,
she stated many events and
people that she felt either in
sulted or criticized her. Oh, I
bet she feels real strong and
proud telling '•minorities"
who's in charge.
Now let's speak about a mat
ter of respect. The Chineae
American woman in her opin
ion article was only seeking an
environment of trust and confi
dence. This courageous woman
was one of only a few that
spoke "true" knowledge at the
meeting She and others edu
cated us on the subordinate
status people of color share.
1 am sure that others would
have spoken if Butoy weren't
there. Now because of her col
umn. fewer people will speak
out in the future Why can't she
admit that because of her
white-washed education, she
can't even begin to understand
"our" ideas? The purpose of
wanting to extract her from the
forum was exactly for fear of
what has transpired
Take a hint, she represents an
establishment long in power.
Could it be that people long op
pressed might fear your igno
rance and insensitivity? The
worst fears have been proven
true. Now what price must be
paid to rebuild from her igno
rance?
Enrique Rodriguez
Psychology